LAHORE: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri has indicated a change in strategy to get justice for the Model Town victims, focussing on a legal and political battle instead of agitation.

“We will speed up legal proceedings for acquiring justice as it is not the right time to get involved in any agitation movement,” said Qadri while addressing a press conference at the PAT head office on Sunday.

The PAT chief also requested Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar to provide justice to ‘the widows and orphans’ of the Model Town incident.

Calling Justice Nisar a ‘good lawyer’ and a ‘good judge’, he said millions of poor were looking up to him.

“If parliament fails, people look towards judiciary for justice. Now victims of the Model Town tragedy are also looking towards the judiciary,” he said.

He said the Senate admitted that parliament failed in dispensing justice while the government had already failed.

Qadri said a petition had been filed for the constitution of a larger bench to provide justice to the families of the Model Town victims and arrest the big fish involved in the incident, including former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

He came down hard on the ruling party, saying that under its patronage, dozens of Rao Anwars involved in murdering innocent people were roaming freely.

“In my opinion, the political elite of the country will not be able to see the month of March,” he said, adding that Sharifs’ days were numbered.

The PAT chief said there could be many differences among the political parties, “but all of them are on the same page” over the Model Town incident. He said a protest on the Mall Road could start within 48 hours but due to the Kasur incident and other issues a plan for the protest could not be devised.

On a future strategy, the PAT chief said decisions would be taken after consultation with all political parties.

Replying to a question, Qadri said another five-year-old boy had been abducted in Kasur. “If the murderer Imran Ali was in police custody, who kidnapped the child there?” he asked.

“It appears that a gang is still being given protection,” he said. “The nation will grab the Sharif brothers by the collar for justice very soon.”